Senate Republicans, by refusing to do their jobs and work to fill our current Supreme Court vacancy, have shown a fair-weather, bandwagon love for the Constitution. Read more

On a hot day in August 2003, a stretched transmission line tripped after dipping into an overgrown tree in Ohio. Soon after, multiple transmission lines nearby also tripped beginning what would become the second largest blackout at that time in history, impacting eight Northeastern states and Southern Canada. Since this massive blackout, power generation in the United States has changed dramatically both in form and quantity. In 2005, Congress recognized the need for mandatory grid reliability s... Read more

In recent years, we have witnessed the increasing pain and suffering inflicted by heroin and opioid addiction in communities in our districts and across the country. We, like many of our constituents, have seen firsthand how this tragic epidemic has affected our own friends and loved ones, and by sharing their stories we hope to put a face to the addiction crisis. The statistics surrounding drug addiction and overdose are truly staggering. Since 2010, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths h... Read more

For years Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee have asked for a hearing on the effects of climate change. And for years, that simple request – that we have an honest discussion before the oldest standing committee in the House about a problem faced the world over – has been denied. So, last month, we held our own forum on climate change. Unfortunately, only Democratic members of the committee attended. We still hold out hope that our committee will examine this issue under regular orde... Read more

We too often forget that those struggling with mental illness are constantly forced to fight a battle on two fronts. Not only do they have to grapple with themselves -- with their own thoughts and mind -- but they also have to contend with the negative assumptions made about those with mental illness, which are pervasive in our society. Those stereotypes, though, are hardly a figment of their imagination. Public opinion suggests that people with mental illness and violent tendencies go hand in h... Read more

For four months, House Republican Leadership shuttered the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that supports American exports and levels the playing field for U.S. manufacturers overseas. This ‘politics-over-people’ move led by the extreme wing of the House GOP caucus has already put hard working Americans out of work, including more than 200 in Schenectady, New York, in the district I represent. After months of bipartisan calls for House Leadership to own up to their mistake and bring legislat... Read more

After careful consideration and many meetings with local and national stakeholders including President Obama, members of the Cabinet, national security officials who have served both Republican and Democratic administrations, scientists and local faith and civic groups, I agree with the majority of Americans — that the Iran deal is an important step forward in dealing with a regime that is otherwise on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon. This agreement has the potential not only to avoid m... Read more

As printed on Syracuse.com on May 11, 2015If you live in New York, chances are that you or someone you know was affected by our broken and aging water infrastructure last winter. I live in Amsterdam and represent the Capital Region in the House of Representatives, and during our extended cold weather season I heard countless stories of pipes bursting in Colonie, power outages in Troy, and public service interruptions in Albany – all due to a decades-long habit on a national level of disinvestmen... Read more

I first met Timothy O' Clair at a little league game in 2001. Timothy was a bright and energetic youngster with the whole world ahead of him. Unfortunately, Timothy also suffered from a debilitating mental illness. When Timothy's insurance would no longer cover his treatment, his parents were forced to disown him in order to get treatment. Unable to receive the appropriate care, at the age of 12, Timothy tragically completed suicide. Timothy's struggle to get the care he needed is what first led me down the path of working to improve the mental health system in America. Read more

So-called "dynamic scoring" completely invents a future where unlimited and unpaid-for tax cuts and loopholes for large corporations and the very wealthy create a more prosperous environment for us all – simply to circumvent the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that Republican and Democratic majorities in Congress have used since 1974. Read more